Snow Flowers (or Snow Plants) - we saw them popping up along the trails in the Tahoe area last week -

These things are weird, and I had to look up how they grew. Turns out they survive underground most of the year and don't carry out photosynthesis like typical green plants. Instead they live off fungi that grow in symbiosis with tree roots. In springtime the snow flower's bright red bloom (inflorescence) emerges from underground as the snow melts, hence the name. Because of their dependence on certain conifers and fungi their range is largely restricted to the Sierra Nevada. Now you know!

These things are weird, and I had to look up how they grew. Turns out they survive underground most of the year and don't carry out photosynthesis like typical green plants. Instead they live off fungi that grow in symbiosis with tree roots. In springtime the snow flower's bright red bloom (inflorescence) emerges from underground as the snow melts, hence the name. Because of their dependence on certain conifers and fungi their range is largely restricted to the Sierra Nevada. Now you know!